War dead to be honored on Remembrance Sunday

The annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony will be held on Sunday, Nov. 13, to pay tribute to war veterans.

The ceremony will be held at the cenotaph outside Elmslie Memorial Church in George Town, starting at 10:45 a.m. Attendees are asked to be in place no later than 10:30 a.m.

A parade, led by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and Band, will kick off the event. The Cayman Islands Veterans Association, Fire Service, Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Girls’ Brigade, Scouts, Cadet Corps, Lions Club of Grand Cayman and Lions Club of Tropical Gardens will also take part in the parade.

The annual ceremony will begin with the Royal Salute followed by the “Bidding,” and a two-minute silence. After the sounding of the Last Post, the laying of wreaths at the Memorial Cross will take place in memory of veterans, and then at the Seaman’s Memorial in memory of lives lost at sea.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place inside Elmslie Memorial Church.

Brac ceremony

Cayman Brac’s Remembrance Sunday Service will run simultaneously, with the ceremony being held at the District Administration Lawn in front of the War Memorial Cenotaph in Stake Bay at 10:45 a.m.

The two-minute silence will occur at 11 a.m., followed by the Last Post and Act of Worship.

After an offertory is taken by members of the Veterans and Seamen’s Society of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, there will be the recognition of veterans and the laying of the wreaths.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at Aston Rutty Civic Centre.

‘A time of honor’

Captain Dale Banks, President of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association, said, “Remembrance Sunday is a time to honor. It started honoring those who were killed in wars, but now it has expanded to include all of those who have served and current active duty. It’s a way of telling them thank you and telling the families who lost a loved one thank you for their sacrifices.”

The Cayman Islands will observe Remembrance Sunday as a public holiday on Monday, Nov. 14.

For more information or to request to lay a wreath on Remembrance Sunday Parade and Ceremony, contact Chief of Protocol Meloney Syms at the Protocol Office at 244-3612 or email [email protected]